If you spend any time researching skincare ingredients, you've almost certainly encountered niacinamide. It's everywhere—in serums, moisturizers, toners, and practically every product that promises "better skin." And for good reason: niacinamide has genuine benefits supported by solid research.
But MSM, despite sharing some of niacinamide's key properties, rarely gets the same attention. Both are anti-inflammatory. Both support skin barrier function. Both can improve skin texture and appearance over time.
So how do they compare? When might you choose one over the other? And is there a case for using both?
Let's break it down.
Understanding Niacinamide
Niacinamide is vitamin B3 in its active form. It's a water-soluble vitamin that your body uses for countless cellular processes, including energy metabolism and DNA repair.
For skin specifically, niacinamide offers several benefits:
Anti-Inflammatory: Niacinamide reduces inflammatory signaling, helping calm redness, irritation, and inflammatory conditions like acne.
Barrier Support: It helps your skin produce ceramides, the lipids that form a crucial part of your skin barrier. A stronger barrier means better moisture retention and protection against irritants.
Sebum Regulation: Niacinamide can help normalize sebum production, potentially reducing oiliness without over-drying.
Hyperpigmentation: It can inhibit the transfer of melanin to skin cells, helping with dark spots and uneven tone.
Texture Improvement: Over time, niacinamide can improve skin texture and minimize the appearance of pores.
The research supporting these benefits is substantial. Niacinamide is one of the better-studied skincare ingredients, with clinical trials demonstrating its effectiveness for various skin concerns.
Understanding MSM
MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) is an organic sulfur compound found naturally in plants, animals, and humans. While less studied specifically for skincare than niacinamide, its mechanisms of action are well-understood.
Anti-Inflammatory: Like niacinamide, MSM modulates inflammatory processes. It can help reduce the inflammation that drives many skin concerns, from acne to rosacea to general sensitivity.
Structural Support: MSM provides sulfur necessary for collagen, keratin, and elastin production. These structural proteins determine skin firmness, barrier integrity, and overall resilience.
Antioxidant Enhancement: MSM supports glutathione production, your body's primary internal antioxidant system.
Cell Membrane Function: MSM may improve cell membrane permeability, potentially enhancing nutrient delivery and waste removal at the cellular level.
Where They Overlap
Both MSM and niacinamide share anti-inflammatory and barrier-supporting properties. For conditions driven by inflammation—acne, rosacea, general sensitivity—either ingredient can provide meaningful benefit.
Both also work relatively gently. Neither is an aggressive active that forces dramatic short-term change at the cost of irritation. They're ingredients that support skin health over time rather than overwhelming it.
This shared gentleness makes both suitable for sensitive skin types that can't tolerate harsher actives like retinoids or strong chemical exfoliants.
Where They Differ
Despite the overlap, these ingredients have distinct strengths.
Niacinamide's unique contributions: Sebum regulation and hyperpigmentation correction aren't MSM's strong suits. If oiliness or dark spots are primary concerns, niacinamide offers more direct benefits.
MSM's unique contributions: The sulfur supply for structural protein synthesis isn't something niacinamide provides. For collagen support, tissue repair, and the kind of recovery athletes need, MSM offers distinct advantages.
Mechanism of anti-inflammatory action: Niacinamide works partly by affecting gene expression related to inflammation. MSM works through different pathways, including supporting glutathione and potentially affecting inflammatory signaling molecules. These different mechanisms mean the anti-inflammatory effects could theoretically be additive.
The Sensitivity Question
Here's something important: while niacinamide is generally well-tolerated, some people do react to it. Flushing, redness, and irritation—sometimes called "niacinamide flush"—affect a minority of users, particularly at higher concentrations or when combined with certain other ingredients.
MSM has an even gentler profile. True sensitivity to MSM is rare. For people who've discovered they can't tolerate niacinamide (frustrating, given how widely recommended it is), MSM offers an alternative path to similar benefits.
Our experience on the Washington State farm, formulating for sensitive skin types, has shown MSM to be remarkably non-reactive. Even customers who report that their "skin hates everything" typically tolerate MSM-based products without issue.
The Athletic Perspective
For athletes and active people, MSM has advantages that niacinamide doesn't offer.
The sulfur supply for tissue repair matters enormously for skin under constant stress from training. The support for collagen and connective tissue goes beyond surface-level skin benefits to helping with the broader recovery process.
Our family's athletic background—four college athletes, two at Division I NCAA level—led us to prioritize MSM in our formulations. For our Muscle Cream and Active Cream, niacinamide wouldn't provide the same recovery support that MSM delivers.
This doesn't mean niacinamide is bad for athletes. It just means MSM addresses athletic needs more directly.
Using Both
There's no reason these ingredients can't work together. Their different mechanisms and unique benefits could potentially provide additive effects.
A routine might include a niacinamide serum for sebum control and hyperpigmentation support, alongside an MSM-containing moisturizer for structural support and anti-inflammatory benefits. The ingredients don't conflict, and their distinct strengths complement each other.
For someone with multiple concerns—say, oiliness AND sensitivity AND aging concerns—a combination approach makes sense.
Formulation Context Matters
Both ingredients are only as good as their formulations.
Niacinamide concentration matters. Most research uses 4-5% concentrations; some products go higher, which can increase irritation risk without proportional benefit increase.
For MSM, the delivery system matters. Our formulations pair MSM with fresh goat milk, which supports absorption and provides complementary benefits. MSM in a poor vehicle may not reach the layers where it can do the most good.
And both ingredients should exist within formulations that don't undermine their benefits. Adding niacinamide or MSM to a product full of irritating fragrances and harsh alcohols defeats the purpose.
Making the Choice
How do you decide between MSM and niacinamide?
Choose niacinamide if your primary concerns are oiliness, pore appearance, and hyperpigmentation. These are niacinamide's strong suits.
Choose MSM if your primary concerns are sensitivity, inflammation, structural support (collagen/firmness), and recovery from physical stress. These are MSM's territories.
Consider both if you have multiple concerns, tolerate both ingredients well, and want comprehensive support.
Definitely choose MSM if you've discovered you're sensitive to niacinamide—it offers similar anti-inflammatory benefits without the same sensitivity risk.
Our Approach
Every product we make on our Washington State farm contains MSM. For our purposes—supporting skin health for our athletic family and customers with sensitive, reactive skin—MSM's profile fits better than niacinamide's.
That's not a criticism of niacinamide. It's recognition that different ingredients serve different needs, and our needs pointed toward MSM's unique strengths.
For customers who also use niacinamide products, our MSM-based creams can work alongside them. For customers who've struggled with niacinamide, our products offer an alternative path to the anti-inflammatory and skin-supporting benefits they've been seeking.
